Scientists from Lockheed Martin and the University of Sheffield believe they’ve solved the mystery of supersonic jets that dart across the low atmosphere of the Sun. The team used computer modeling and high-resolution images taken with the Swedish 1-metre Solar Telescope to understand how these jets – called “spicules” – are formed. They noticed that the spicules formed in certain spots quite regularly, usually every five minutes or so. This matched sound waves on the Sun’s surface that had the same five minute period. The sound waves are usually dampened before they reach the Sun’s atmosphere, but wherever they aren’t dampened, spicules are formed, propelling matter upward.